Elijah didn’t move not even a breath too quick, not even a shift that risked breaking the anchor he had become in that moment. His hand remained at the back of my head, fingers threading softly through my hair, grounding me without forcing anything.

“It affects you because you’re human,” he murmured. “Not because you’re weak. And because what you went through with him wasn’t small.”

I swallowed hard, the pressure behind my ribs tightening. “I just… I don’t want anyone ...